Saudi Aramco is generating larger-than-anticipated financial benefits from its strategic implementation of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, significantly cutting costs and boosting efficiency across its vast operations. The state-owned energy giant is positioning itself as a leader in the tech-driven transformation of the energy sector.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, CEO Amin Nasser revealed that the company expects to generate between $3 billion and $5 billion in technology-realised value for 2025. This projection builds on the approximately $6 billion in total value already recorded in both 2023 and 2024.
Defining Technology-Realised Value
Aramco defines “technology-realised value” as the tangible gains achieved through lower capital spending, higher revenues, or reduced operating costs, all driven by the deployment of AI and other digital tools. This framework allows the company to quantify the direct financial impact of its technological investments.
Smarter Operations from Subsurface to Pipeline
Nasser detailed how AI is being deployed across the company’s core functions. In production, AI is used to more accurately map and analyse complex oil and gas reservoirs beneath Saudi Arabia’s deserts and offshore fields. This has already improved output at some fields and lowered costs by reducing the number of wells needed per barrel of production.
“Our goal is to make the energy industry smarter through AI,” Nasser stated, emphasizing that the quality of data is critical to this mission.
Beyond exploration, technology has also enhanced maintenance operations. By better understanding asset performance through AI-driven analytics, Aramco has improved reliability and, in some cases, significantly cut spending on anti-corrosion materials in its extensive pipeline network.
A Century of Data as a Competitive Edge
Aramco’s key advantage in the AI race is its vast repository of historical data. Nasser highlighted that nearly a century’s worth of geological data and operational experience provides an unparalleled foundation for training and refining sophisticated AI models, giving the company a distinct competitive edge.
Strategic Partnerships and Commercialization
Looking ahead, Aramco is exploring partnerships with hyperscale cloud providers to commercialise some of its proprietary AI applications for use across the broader energy sector.
This push is supported by Aramco’s $7.5 billion venture capital arm, which actively invests in energy-related technologies that can be developed and deployed across its operations. In a significant local move, Aramco announced in October a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to acquire a minority stake in the state-owned AI company, Humain.
About Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company. It is driven by the core belief that energy is opportunity. From producing approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply to developing new energy technologies, its global team is dedicated to creating impact in all that it does.
Source: AGBI
